DOJ suffers setback in NJ voter roll lawsuit despite illegal registrants scandal
The Justice Department suffered its 18th straight loss on Wednesday in its nationwide campaign to obtain unredacted state voter rolls, as a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration‘s lawsuit against New Jersey despite the state’s recent disclosure that thousands of noncitizens were illegally registered to vote.
The Justice Department suffered its 18th straight loss on Wednesday in its nationwide campaign to obtain unredacted state voter rolls, as a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration‘s lawsuit against New Jersey despite the state’s recent disclosure that thousands of noncitizens were illegally registered to vote. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, granted New Jersey’s motion to dismiss and denied the DOJ’s attempt to compel access to the state’s complete voter registration database, including voters’ driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
Recommended Stories The ruling leaves the DOJ with a losing record in district court cases seeking such data, in addition to an earlier appellate loss. The department said it would appeal immediately following the ruling. “This Court … joins at least sixteen other district courts including a sister court — and one circuit — in dismissing Plaintiff’s claim,” Quraishi wrote in a 17-page decision.
Why it matters
The ruling limits federal access to state voter data, affecting oversight of election integrity and privacy protections.